Sound resonator and amplifier.



F. CHENEY.

SOUND RESONATOR AND AMPLIFiER.

APPUCATlON man MAR. H, 1912. RENEWED NOV. 26. 1915.

Patented Feb. 8, i916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Swuudo'a F. CHENEY.

SOUND RESONATOR AND AMPLIFIER. hPPLlfiAi'l ON FILED MAR, 11, I912. RENEWED NOV. 26,1915.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

3 $HtETSSHEET 2.

LIFQSOQ.

WWW

121424 Lia/m; t;

F. CHENEY. souwo RESONATOR AND AMPLIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-1|, I912 RENEWED NOV. 26. 1915. 1,170,800, Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3,

aliens:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOREST CHENEY, 0F JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHENEY TALKING MACHINE COMPANY. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1916.

Application filed March 11, 1912, Serial No. 682.989. Renewed November 28, 1915. Senior 250 63,678.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fonusr Cnnsrxr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sound Resonators and Amplifiers, of which the following, taken in connection with the acconr panying drawings, is a specification.

My invention is concerned with sound-1e producing machines, and more especially with those that are designed to reprodme complex sounds of a Wide range, su h as those of voices, orchestras and musical instruments generally. As is well known to those scillcd in the art, while the initial vibrations of the diaphragm of such machines potentially set up all the complex air vibrations necessary to produce the fun damcntal tones and overtones going to make up the character and tone color of all the instruments or voices (tl e tones of which are being reproduced), said air vibrations are nevertheless very weak, and must be amplified and strengthened in order that the sounds will be reproduced in sufficient volume. Prior to my invention, it has been sought to effect this amplification by what; are practically flaring horns or bells, thesides of which diverge continuously and in. such a manner as to pr duce conflicting and inter fcring vil'u'ations therein, which serve to destroy some oi the tones and overtones Where itis amplifying the vibrations ot a plurality of instruments or voices simultaneously, in concerted selections. Such. horns or hells, when they are employed in a musi al instrunieut, such as a comet or trombone, are ad mirably adapted to give that single instrument its characteristic tone or color, but they fail. lamentahly an amplifier in reproducing simultaneously the characteristic vibrations of a plurality of different instruments or voices, because they do not have proper vibrating surfaces on their inner walls.

My invention is concerned primarily with a novel amplifier made up of a plurality of properly shaped orchestral sections located in the proper relative arrangement so that. the fundamental vibrations of all the orchestral instruments whose tones are reproduced may be amplified thereby and delivcred therefrom in the proper relative arrangements to reproduce harmonumsiy and fully all the tones of ali the instrumen s or voi s employed in making the re ur-aft 315' inwntion further con oe l with a novel violin re. motor to which amplt li d air vibrations or sound "on; iron; the orchestral sections are i a and so which by its own vihratious not c urthei amplifies said sound waves hut a reflects and retracts some of them so as to emphw size and augment the neee ii; area-tones to bring out the "ichness and peculiar tone color of the various instruments and voice; riginull employed in making the are 'fl'iese amplified and resonated air \it rutionscscupe from the rg-sonotor and are delivered to the h urers. and in this roruilitiun reproduce them the tones of the original Y. "unemts and voices with 7!. mrirrelm periia ti i vastiv superior to that of u V ducing machine consrruei d prior to Hill" in vention. 1 :5

To illustrate my inve' tl m, I (u ie hereto three sheets of dranis in ii the sin:

reference characters are user to designate identical. parts in all the l s. of irhiclu- Fifllll't: l is a side ole Q on or an ampliso fier having plurals ig ted :1

partmcnts or t central longuiu Fig. *0 is a pinn view 4 of the same, showing curved. outiine."

thereof; Fig. I is a rcntrsi l ngitud' so as to v cording to the Si? space to he hlled, the res nator being shown in its ex :00

panded position; hit; 53 is a. similar View, with the rcsonstor in its ce'intracted position, as for a small room; Fig. 10 a side elevation of the adjustable resonator with the orchestralsections amplifier attached thereto and mounted in a casing; and F i g. 11 is a. top plan view of the same, showing the straight sides of the resonator.

The amplifier is made up of a plurality of sections 11, 19, 20. Q1 and 22, and the tube 10 ending from the sound box may enter di rectly into the end of the smallest section, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, where it may be connected to section 11 by a ball-and-socket joint 12. which has a spring 13 adapted to engage a notch 14; and thereby hold the sound box end of the tube 10 up at the desired angle with the needle out of engage ment With the disk record, a pin 15 being provided at the lower side and entering a recess to hold the hall portion ordinarily in position in the svohet 16 with the opening 17 leading directly from the socket iii to the. throat 12 while pern'iitting the above described raising oi the tube as well as its horizontal movement necessary in the passage of the needle from the inner to the outer 'iortion of the disk recor A modification of the direct connection is shown in Fig. l, in which the tube 10 is con nected in the same manner. to an elbow 18. which permits the admission of the sound waves at one side of the first orchestral section, instead of at the end, the orchestral section 11 in this case, of course, having the opening in the side, instead of in the end, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Each orchestral section consists of a tubular sect -n ha ing flu-t parallel sides which act as vibrating surfaces or the sound waves of the particular register to which the section is adapted, and there are preferably t'ou r of these sides of equal size, with the opposite sides parallel. so that the section is square in cross section, it being essential that the opposed surfaces be flat and parallel with each other. The material for these sections is preferably a resonant wood.

\Vhile a single orchestral section might be used with the resonator to be hereinafter described, and better results obtained than if the single section were not employed, yet. 1 preferably employ a series of these sections, of dilferent sizes, so that all the sounds or tones belonging to each of the. different registers, such as the soprano, alto, tenor and bass. will find a chamber or section within the range of that register and Will be properly reinforced. The sides and length of these orchestral sections are carefully graduated, and they are preferably made so that they telescope snugly, so that they may be accurately adjusted, and when so adjusted, maybe secured in position, preferably by an adhesive. In this manner a series of the orchestral sections may be adjusted so as to determine the correct length of the vibrating Walls of each section to reinforce the various tones belonging to the desired register to which each section is devoted. Each of the dili'e -ent orchestral sections slips on to one anc-t they are i cmhled, beginning with the smallest section 11., which reinforces the vibrationsof the highest tones, and wherein said vibrations have-the great est intensity, and for this reason I preferably make it; sides much thicker than those of the sucdiieding sections. To accomplish this conveniently, the length of the second section 19 is nearly doubled, so that the first section 11 may he slipped entirely within said section 19, thereby providing a strong vibrating body for the sides of the section 11 and giving added intensity to the vibrations. The sides of this smallest compartnrent might he made ot one thicknes, in stead of two, and v:in suhstantialiv as good results, but the construction would notbe so simple and convenient. The edges of the mouths 23 of each section leading into the next section are convex or curved outwardly, as shown, so as to give a free exit to the vibrations and to permit them to gradually pass from the smaller section to the larger tions. "the mouth oi. the larg' est section leads directly into the sn'iall end 29 of the resonating horn.

"hile. for most purposes, the five sections shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are sufficient, for reproi'lucing a full orchestra. a larger number, say seven. may be tiliiiltl'linl, out the priir riple of operation the vanie in both cases, and lhave simply mentioned seven as being the max mum nunihe of se tions that will ever is nee-led.

tel'erring no to iii" she-n in I) to l Figs. 3. (i and 7 the simplest torm. which pwferah y made with al four sides concave and in the general fi ll'l l oi substantially half of a violin limly. having the shell "27 in the upper and under sides. 'lhis l'trihiltll'OY is in: lc of sonic resonant wood, as spruce. for example. and. will be seen. gradually wid c iolin l'tiotil'ld il l. l have shoun in ens from the end toward the mouth 2%, thus gradually an "ring the tone. The

concave vertical PM" and the conca e. to; and bottom LY, rn'i'lvei'ia', by this shape. eon rentrate and retract some of the ibrations. therehy producing! or en'iphasisingr the over tones nee sary to re 'irodure the tones of the various ii'istrui'nents in their original purity, and transmit the reproduced and augmented tones in perfect ha mony.

The small end 2.? of the resonator preferably square in shape and of sulatantially the same size as the end of the largest orchestral section. as seen in Figs. it) and Ill, so that there. will not he an abrupt increase of the air space in cross section in passing from the amplifier to the resonator. In order to adapt the violin resonator to large and small rooms, may make it adjustableyin size, as shown in Figs. 8 to 11. To accdnr than any other parallel cross-section, the dimensions of said orifice being much less than the length of the resonator.

8. A resonator for acoustical apparatus, rectangular in its general cross-section, having solid sidewalls formedwith four concave inner faces, leading from a comparatively small entrance orifice,square in crosssection, by constantly increasing diameters in all transverse sections to a lar e generally rectangular exit orifice which has a greater area than any other parallel eross-section.

9. A resonator for acoustical apparatus.

"rectangular in its general cross-section, having solid side Walls, two of which are opposed and curve only in the direction of their length, while the other two opposed side Walls have a swell like that of the top and bottom of a violin, said side walls leading from a comparatively small square entrance orifice by constantly increasing diameters in all transverse sections to a large generally rectangular exit orifice Which has a greater area than any other parallel cross-section and which has outwardly convex curves on its longer sides fornied by the above-men tioned swells in the side Walls.

10. In an acoustical apparatus, the combination with an orchestral section composed of an even ninnber of flat vibrating walls parallel to a common axis, and the opposed walls parallel to each other, of a generallv flaring resonator polygonal in its general cross section and having the main sides thereof formed -with concave inner Walls, the discharge end of the section opening into the small end of the resonator.

11, In an acoustical apparatus, the L'Ol'lllll nation with an amplifier consisting of a pin rality of sections, each composed of a plurality of flat vibrating Walls parallel to the connnon axis. the Walls of each section being spaced farther apart than those of the preceding section, of a generally flaring resonator, polygonal in its eral cross section, and having the main sh formed with con cave inner walls. the discharge end of the largest section opi-ninginiio the small end of the resonator.

1;. in an acoustical a paratus, the comb iiation with an amplifier consisting a plurality oi sections each composed of a pin ralit of flat rectangular vibrating walls, each Wall parallel to its opposed wall and to the common axis. the walls of each section being spaced farther apart than those of the preceding section. of a generally flaring resonator rectangular in its general cross section and having the main sides thereof fOllhQilV/llfll concave inner Walls, the outer end of the largest section opening into the mall and of the resonator.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FOREST CHENEY.

lVitnesses 0. A. CARL-son, L. T. BALDWIN. 

